Apparition
by BlueKitsunebi
Summary: She was definitely sure that they had been joking when they suggested Sasuke and Sakura becoming friends, or eventually something more, but a tiny voice in the back of her brain screamed that this was a sign. An apparition of the future. A one-shot for Day 1 of Sasusaku Month 2015 - Prompt: Matchmaker.


Mikoto sighed with content, inhaling the fresh air of a warm, summer morning. Naturally, she had apprehended that Konoha market place would become crowded with citizens as the time passed, and as usual, by late morning, the street was packed with sellers advertising their new offers to the customers who clustered around the stalls. Sasuke, a mere toddler of just 14 months old, stirred in her arms, clutching onto her desperately in wariness of the bustling crowds.

As she eyed a particular stall selling endless varieties of fruit and vegetables, she cast her mind back to a few hours earlier. Accompanied in the kitchen by an incessantly wailing Sasuke, she had abandoned her attempts to simply get on with washing the breakfast dishes, and had tried to find a tomato to soothe his tears. However, having peered in the fridge, she found that there were no tomatoes left, much to Sasuke's distress. With a weary groan, she opted for plan B, which involved making a promise with the toddler that after she had cleaned up, they would go grocery shopping together and buy some more, just for him.

She was suddenly snapped back to the present, by one of Sasuke's chubby hands, as he poked her cheek. Of course, he had seen the stall too. More specifically, when she angled her head to look at her son, she discovered, unsurprisingly, that he was eyeing the wooden box of shiny, ripe tomatoes that lay on the tabletop, just beside the strawberries.

"Ma!" He prodded her cheek once more, before nestling his head into her shoulder and waving his hand toward the stall, calling out his childish mispronunciation of his favourite word, "Mahto."

She turned her head toward him, kissing the soft skin at the corner of his forehead, "Yes Sasuke, I haven't forgotten the tomatoes."

Knowing that he wouldn't forget her promise if he could help it, she approached the stall, politely greeting the owner. However, as she reached her hand out toward the box of fresh tomatoes, another distinctly female hand collided into hers.

Mikoto glanced upward, to see a young woman, approximately a similar age to herself, with golden blonde hair, cut short above her shoulders, and bright green eyes. More noticeably, was the tiny girl held in one arm, with the most extraordinary shade of sugar pink hair, and her mother's jade eyes. At the sight of the little pink haired girl, Sasuke immediately lifted his head from his mothers shoulder in newfound interest. Similarly, the girl stared back at him, curiosity illuminated in her delicate features.

"Oh!" The blonde haired woman gasped, her apologetic expression deepening, as she noticed the famous Uchiha crest on Mikoto's back, "My apologies Uchiha-san."

Waving off the apology with a smile, Mikoto understood the intimidation of prestigious clans such as the Uchiha. "It's nothing, there's no need to apologise," and with a glance at the contents of the stall, she added "You were going for the strawberries, right?"

The woman nodded slowly, with a formal "Hai"

Mikoto turned, gathering a bagful of tomatoes, and a punnet of plump red strawberries, before she paid the stall owner for both, and handed the punnet to the woman. "There's no need for the formalities. You can just call me Mikoto." she bounced the toddler in her arm "And this here is Sasuke."

Despite Mikoto trying to draw Sasuke's attention toward the woman, his jet eyes remained fixated on the girl in fascination. Black clashed with jade, as the two infants continued to stare in mutual inquisitiveness.

Having witnessed Mikoto pay for the strawberries, the mystery woman gasped, and handed the berries to the little girl as she rooted around in her purse for change, drawing out a handful of coins, "Please take this, for the strawberries."

Mikoto beamed at her, shaking her head as she politely declined, her eyes flickering to the pink haired girl "Don't worry, it's a gift, for the pretty little fairy."

"But…" The woman protested, thrusting out the coins.

Once again, she shook her head, "Please, I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to give a gift."

Her eyes hardened with determination, as the mystery woman insisted, one last time, on paying.

"I'm Haruno Mebuki, and this is Sakura" she said in defeat and glanced at the little pink haired girl.

Dark eyes shifting toward the little girl, Mikoto beamed with admiration, "Ah, Sakura? It fits her wonderfully. She's so beautiful, just like the spring."

"Arigatou. Your boy, Sasuke, I can see already that he'll be a handsome young man, and a fine shinobi too."

Mikoto laughed. It was a unique, lilting sound. "Right now he's more interested in tomatoes than becoming a shinobi."

Mebuki looked to the bag of tomatoes in Mikoto's hand, and to the berries in her own. She grinned in understanding. "I'm guessing he's been after tomatoes all morning? Sakura's just the same, except that she's been obsessed with strawberries. I supposed that it would be okay to give in just this once, since fruit isn't exactly harmful."

Sasuke reached out a pudgy hand to stroke Sakura's bright hair. His dark eyes were focused so intently, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Fingers grasping at the pink locks, he stared at the uniquely coloured strands with amazement. In response, Sakura placed a tiny palm on the natural, messy spikes of Sasuke's hair. As if testing the buoyancy, she played with the ebony tufts that sprung up no matter how many times she attempted to pat them down.

Mebuki released a light hearted laugh at the two toddlers, fascinated by each other's hair, and spoke "They like each other already, don't they? Who knows, maybe they'll become friends in the future."

Mikoto nodded in agreement, surprised that her usually stubborn boy had finally warmed up to someone. Although Sasuke was a loving, happy child, he often couldn't quite get along with other toddlers. Not due to any fault of his own, but because he naturally preferred to play alone – unless Itachi was involved – and this anti-social impression often warned off others. She often worried that he would grow to lack necessary communicative skills.

Sakura, having decided that the Sasuke's hair was a worthy source of her daily entertainment, grinned toothily, and grasped the locks firmly. At this sudden brash gesture, both women assumed that Sasuke would burst into tears in response, however much to their surprise, Sasuke simply returned the favour by clutching his fingers around Sakura's sugary pink tresses, with a childish gurgle of excitement.

"At this rate, rather than friends," Mikoto spoke amazedly, "they could end up together."

Mebuki nodded, eyes crinkling in delight at the adorable sight before her, "I wouldn't be surprised if they did, although I am surprised that she hasn't bonked him on the head yet."

The other woman's thin dark eyebrows rose in questioning, in wonder if she had heard the correct words, "Bonked him?"

"Yes, bonked." Mebuki frowned a little at Sakura, before sighing almost exhaustedly, "I swear she has superhuman strength for such a tiny girl. She has such a bad habit of bashing others on the head if she doesn't like them."

Mikoto couldn't contain her laughter at the ridiculousness of the concept. The girl gave the immediate impression of utter innocence. Her delicate and feminine appearance was like a manifestation of springtime and purity, so the mental image of sweet little Sakura whacking someone across the head seemed like a bizarre abstract concept.

"I'm sorry" Mikoto giggled, "She looks so delightful that when I picture it, the image seems so out of place."

"That's why she's so deadly. She'll make a good ninja one day, probably specialising in the art of deception. But I suppose that little Sasuke's safe."

Both women eyed Sasuke and Sakura with approval, whom had proceeded to affectionately prod each other's faces. The infants babbled streams of incoherent nonsense, as they patted and scrunched each other's facial features. Mebuki was struggling to keep her hold onto Sakura as the little girl dangerously leant over her mother's arm toward Sasuke. And much to Mikoto's happiness, Sasuke reacted with equal glee.

And then Mikoto saw it.

Her dark eyes widened in disbelief, as three of Sasuke's fingers, chubby with puppy fat, lifted to pat the soft skin Sakura's pale forehead. A memory of Itachi flickered through her mind's eye. She had seen the gesture before, a few times now. Once when she peered at Itachi playing with Sasuke on the porch, again when Itachi was handing Sasuke his stuffed dinosaur, and once more when Itachi was leaving for the academy and she was forced to literally pry Sasuke off Itachi's leg.

When inquiring about the strange action, Itachi had shrugged and simply replied "It's a gesture of sincere affection. He's done it back to me in the past, but I doubt that he understands what it means, at his age."

Although Sasuke's version was a little messier with three fingers rather than two, and he certainly had no conscious idea that he was doing it, the action was frighteningly similar. Similar enough to unnerve her. She was definitely sure that they had been joking when they suggested Sasuke and Sakura becoming friends, or eventually something more, but a tiny voice in the back of her brain screamed that this was a sign. An apparition of the future.

Logically, it seemed silly, but something about that poke struck a chord in her, bothering her until it shook her up a little inside.

Beside her, Mebuki twitched in realisation at something. It was impossible for her to know of the significance of the forehead poke, so Mikoto was soothed somewhat that her new friend did not feel the same shiver running along her spine.

Readjusting her grasp on Sakura, Mebuki faced the other woman, "I'm so sorry, Mikoto-san, I've just remembered that my husband will be coming home from his mission soon, and I have to drop my groceries off at home before Sakura and I meet him at the gate."

"I understand, Mebuki-san, although it's a shame that we couldn't talk some more."

"Yes, but have a strange feeling that I'll see more of you and Sasuke, especially if they really do become friends, or even teammates."

As the two women parted, after having gently pried their children's hands away from the locks of hair in their tiny fists, Mebuki's words ran through Mikoto's brain on a continuous loop. And as she noticed the way the two infants continued to stare at each other in wonder, despite the increasing distance between them, she couldn't stop the thought from flowing through her mind.

 _Maybe they'll become much more than teammates…_

That evening, by the time was Mikoto clearing away the dishes of their evening meal, and Itachi had retired to his room to do homework, she had already disregarded the strange notion. After all, it really was silly. Toddlers tend to play with each other, and that was all. Sasuke couldn't keep avoiding others his own age, and little Sakura couldn't bonk everybody on the head. It was nothing but a mere superstition.

However, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end once more, and that familiar chill again, ghosted along the column of her spine. Her eyes widened a little, as her muscles froze in place. Fugaku, having noticed how his wife suddenly stiffened in the midst of washing a plate, decided to question her on the matter.

"What's wrong?" He frowned.

Fingers grasping the edge of the sink, she shook her head reassuringly, yet unconvincingly, as her husband stared at her in disbelief. Her black eyes shifted to Sasuke, whom was sat, innocent enough, on a cushion, playing with a chopstick.

That night, Sasuke learnt a new word.

"Sakwa"

* * *

Not exactly my best work but thank you so much for reading :) If you'd like, leave a review and let me know what you think. Feel free to let me know of any criticisms or mistakes in grammar, spelling, etc...


End file.
